From the category archives:

Crafts & Activities

Journey North – Green Kids Educational Project

by Jennifer on February 21, 2010

Journey North is a year-long, free nature adventure event for youth. The major activity season for Journey North actually kicks off in February but kids can join up at any time. Through May (and beyond) there’s plenty of learning and fun to be had.

journey north

WHAT IS JOURNEY NORTH?

A North American adventure for kids that allows them to log-in online (for free) and participate in a safe website experience that offers a, “Global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change.” Students K-12, chat and post about their personal nature field observations with other students across the country. Homeschoolers or unschoolers will really enjoy this project as well.

The site is totally kid-safe and encourages youth to observe various natural changes in their local community as they occur throughout the year. For example, kids learn how to watch for and track things like the life and migration patterns of animals (monarch butterflies, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, and bald eagles to name a few), newly sprouting plants, weather changes and much more.

Journey North gives students a view into local natural worlds that they might not otherwise get to learn about. For example, a kid living in New York can get a taste of Oregon wildlife and vice vs.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED: Keep on reading this post!

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Green living to me, when you have kids especially, is a lot about learning to appreciate nature. Fact – kids who don’t love nature, who don’t have awesome nature experiences won’t care enough about nature to preserve it. In the winter it’s hard to make time to get outside. You’ve got to bundle up, fit in time around holiday events, and people have a general sense of wanting to stay indoors where it’s cozy. Still, you can incorporate some fun and nature minded family outings into your schedule. It’ll pay off in the long run with kids who adore being outside and who hopefully want to do all they can to keep nature clean and healthy.

SNOWY FUN

    • Make snow angels or a snow fort.
    • Have a snowball fight.
    • If it’s really cold and snowy, grab some organic, natural maple syrup and pour some on the snow in pretty shapes, it’ll harden into candy.
    • If you’ve got a sled use it. If you don’t have a sled, why not get a winter sledicon?
    • Sleds aren’t the only thing you can slide with try an inner tube as well.
    • Play tic-tac-toe in the snow. Use found nature objects as markers (pine cones, sticks, etc.)
    • Make a cardboard bulls-eye, hang it from a tree, make a pile of snowballs and let the kids throw like mad.

      GROW SOME FUN Keep on reading this post!

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      Green Holiday Gifts for Crafty Kids

      December 16, 2009

      You can still score gifts with online shipping in time for Christmas at many venues for a few more days – which means you have enough time to pick up a super slick eco-arts & craft gift for the little artist in your house.
      Oompa Art Supplies: The best reason to shop at Oompa is because [...]

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      Recycled Cereal Box Houses!

      December 7, 2009

      Just a quickie tonight because I’m dead busy, but I found these adorable cereal box buildings and had to share. Technically, cereal is something you can get in bulk, thus eliminating the box altogether, BUT if you do buy boxed cereal, this is such a cute idea for how to recycle them.

      Aren’t these sweet! The [...]

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      50 Homemade Green Holiday Gifts That Rock

      December 6, 2009

      Some homemade gifts REALLY look homemade and don’t make as big an impression. However, there are plenty of very cool eco-friendly holiday gifts you can easily make that are useful, look great, and will make everyone’s holiday more cheerful. Following are fifty fab homemade gift ideas. Make sure you choose homemade gifts soon though; making [...]

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      Green Holiday Gift – DIY Eco-Dollhouse

      November 25, 2009

      An eco-friendly dollhouse makes an awesome holiday gift for your little one. When I was little I got a dollhouse one Christmas; the kind you build with an adult. I LOVED it. My grandma and me spent hours on it which means I got a cool toy and plenty of fun memories with my grandma. [...]

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      Thames & Kosmos Green Power House – Eco Fun Toy for the Holidays

      October 28, 2009

      My son Cedar and I have been hard at work with a cool toy that will make a pretty great gift for green kiddos for the holiday season – Thames & Kosmos Green Power House – a Discovery Store toy. However, this kit is not so much a toy as a full on model home [...]

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      PDX Locals – Free Admission Day at Portland Japanese Garden

      October 27, 2009

      The Portland Japanese Garden is holding a free admission day on November 11, Wednesday from 10am-4pm. The free event is sponsored by KOIN Local 6. Besides being a cool nature fall outing for your family, the event will also benefit Janus Youth Programs through the collection of voluntary donations at the Admission Gate.

      Janus Youth Program, [...]

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